Hand-operated motor



April 28, H JOSEPHS 2,636,393

HAND-OPERATED MOTOR Filed May l5, 1950 l, pgn/w Patented Apr. 28, 1953 HAND-@BERATED MOTOR Henry Josephs, New York, N. Y.

Application May 15, 1950, Serial No. 161,942

(Cl. Z4-89) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to motors and more particularly to hand-actuated motors for rotary brushes and the like.

It is recognized that numerous hand-actuated motors have been heretofore devised, but have, in many instances, proved unsuccessful through difliculty in manipulation, difficulty in'retention in the hand conveniently while operating, too heavy or too cumbersome, too short a stroke to be fully eifective, injurious to the user when operating the same, excessively intricate and expensive, failing to act freely, and having other inherent defects and draw-backs.

In its most general aspects, the present invention accomplishes a general improvement over hand-actuated motors of the prior art.

Generally considered, therefore, an object of the present invention is to secure a hand-actuated motor utilizing full power of a hand grip on the device with maximum stroke available with gripping action of the users hand, and Within the muscular ability of women in particular to operate continuously for several minutes.

More specically an object of the invention is to enable the motor to be held steadily by the palm of the users hand and operation of the motor effected by gripping pull of the fingers through a maximum length of stroke.

An important object of the invention is to provide a structure which will assure smooth sliding' action with minimum friction or undesired binding of movable parts in use.

A further object of the invention is to protect the ngers of the users hand from being pinched or otherwise injured during operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple, few and sturdy parts, minimum operating mechanisms, and light-weight construction and one particularly adapted to construction largely from present-day light weight plastic material.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a slotted body portion open at the end to receive the slidable cross-head, and having means which will retain the slot from squeezing together or the body portion from spreading or contractmg.

Still further objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art to which it appertains as the description progresses, both by direct recitation thereof and by implication from the context.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals of reference indicate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hand-operated motor withbrush applied thereto as the particular tool to be operated;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on a medial plane of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an underneath plan of the upper or palm-engaging closure or cap for the body portion;

Figure 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1, of the upper end portion of the body portion and cap, with a part of the cap broken away t0 show socket I 2 at the middle region thereof in the' face toward the housing to receive the end of said` housing therein. The closure at the other end of the housing, which for convenienceof reference wiil be referred to as the lower end.

is an end wall I3 which is preferably molded' with, welded to or' otherwise secured as an in'- tegral part of the elongated housing. The eX- terior of the housing'mayconveniently provide' a plurality of fiat faces or facets lengthwise of the housing to which reference willbe made hereinafter. The housing accordingly may have a hexagonal cross-section at its exterior', or other angular cross-section which will provide the'elon-Y gated facets thereon. Furthermore, said housing is hollow, and as shown thereby .provides an; interior cylindrical compartment or chamber It. Coaxially within the housingv and compartment or chamber is a long-pitch screw i5 having bearings at the ends of the housing, As shown, the

upper end of said screw I5 is reduced in diameter to enter a corresponding socket in a metal slug or insert I6 embedded permanently and immovably in the cross-head II, and as specifically shown, said reduced diameter is attained by tapering the upper end of said screw toward a point. Said tapered end of the screw is in rotatable bearing contact with said socket in the slug.

rIhe lower end of the screw I5 is shouldered, as at Il, to ride on a slug or washer IS on the inside of the lower end wall I3 so as to retain the screw from longitudinal displacement thereat. Said screw provides a shank portion I9 extending through a central bearing hole in the end wall I3 so as to protrude longitudinally at the lower end of the housing where a clutch gripping 3 head 20 is provided by which the wire or other core 2l of a brush or other tool 22 may be reu movably secured.

For rotating the screw and clutch, together with such tool as is mounted therein, a slide 23 is 4 provided projecting at opposite sides of the housing through slots 24, 24 diametrically opposed in two opposite facets 25, 25 and longitudinally of said housing. The outer end portions of the slide are shaped as finger-pieces which project out- Vvvardly from said facets 25. By virtue of the slide projecting through the longitudinal slots. the slide 23 is non-rotatable, At the mid-portion of the slide, centrally within the housing, a nut 26 is permanently embedded non-rotatably and in riding engagement with the screw l5. Movement of the slide longitudinally of the housing necessitates rotation of the screw as the nut 26 in the slide rides along said screw. It is consequently this sliding motion of the slide which imparts rotary motion to the screw and its at tached tool, and that motion is oscillatory due to reversal of direction of longitudinal movement of the slide. Furthermore, as shown, the finger-pieces are shaped at theirinner ends to ride against facets 25 next slots 24, thereby both keeping the slide from displacement laterally' from the housing and keeping the nut coaxial with the screw, and furthermore keeping the slide from tilting out of perpendicular to said housing.

Longitudinal movement of the slide 23 in a direction toward the cross-head Il is obtained by the user holding the cross-head against the palm of the hand and engaging the projecting fingerpieces of the slide with the lingers of the same hand and gripping those parts together. As the palm of the hand may be held quite steadily while the fingers are clenched, the operation is not only simple but effective without much, if any, tendency to displace the motor laterally.

The slide is spring-loaded to move it back again to remote position from the cross-head, and as shown, a spiral spring 21 is disposed longitudinally within the housing with convolutions of the spring encircling the screw l5. One end of the spring 2T bears against the cross-head and the other end is shown as seated against said slide 23.

A feature of the present invention exists in the interconnectionbetween the upper end of the housing I and the crosshead I l. The housing, cross-head and slide are all preferably plastic, such as the popular nitro-cellulose plastic commonly employed as a substitute for metal. The parts may be molded, and in the molding process slug 16 and nut 2E are permanently embedded in place. The annular socket l2 in the under side of the crosshead is provided with two diametrcally opposite lugs 28 having a dimansion in a eircumierental direction of theV socket equal to the width opening of the housing slots. As the slots are open to the end of the housing for purpose of enabling the slide to be introduced into the housing, said lugs constitute means for retaining the slots spread open and also constitute means for preventing relative rotation between the cross-head and housing. In applying the crosshead in place on the housing, an adhesive is included in the annular socket thereby holding the cross-head and housing permanently assembled.

I claim:

l. A motor comprising an elongated hollow housing having longitudinal slots extending to and opening through an end of said housing, a screw coaxially within said housing, a cross-head at the end of the housing which has the slots opening thereat, said cross-head closing said end and slots, said cross-head providing a spring seat within and substantially at said end of the housing, and said cross-head providing a flange exterior to the housing and providing Ia bearing coaxially within the spring seat for an end of the screw, said screw having a shank projecting from the other end of the housing, a slide extending transversely to and through said housing and projecting from said slots, said slide having a nut portion riding on said screw, and a spring within said housing around said screw and bearing at one end against said spring seat of the cross-head and bearing at its other end against said nut portion of the slide in a direction away from said cross-head.

2. A motor in accordance with claim 1 wherein said housing has exterior longitudinal facets next said slots and said slide has portions thereof exterior of the housing in sliding proximity to said facets for keeping the slide substantially from tilting in operation.

3. A motor in accordance with claim 1 Wherein said crosshead is provided with an annular socket between said Iiange and seat engageable upon said housing, and having means for retaining the slots open substantially equally.

4. A motor in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cross-head is provided with an annular socket between said flange and seat engageable upon said housing, and lugs in said annular socket diametrically opposite to each other and located in the ends of said slots.

HENRY JOSEPHS.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 807,063 Lillie Sept. 24, 1907 1,648,026 Murray Nov. 8, 1927 1,663,627 Dobson Mar. 27, 1928 2,006,281 Schwarz June 25, 1935 2,474,377 Shurtlei June 28, 19494 

